European governments have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy and are rushing to secure a deal on the use of Russia’s frozen assets after the Ukrainian leader was pressured by Donald Trump to accept Vladimir Putin’s demands to end the war.
“We see President Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, all these efforts are welcome but we don’t see Russia wanting peace,” warned Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, on Monday. “We are discussing what more we can do.”
Kallas spoke after the Financial Times reported on a tense White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy on Friday, in which Ukraine’s leader sought to present counter-arguments to Putin’s maximalist requests, which include territorial concessions.